Lessons from the Mountain

In the seventies and eighties, the Waltons was one of my favorite programs. I loved heartwarming family shows. The Waltons was sure to touch me and give me a good cry. Now, at the age of 66 and desperate for something good to watch one night, I unearthed an old videotape of two Waltons specials and, no surprise, I cried buckets. A great catharsis!

So this led to googling the Waltons and I saw Mary McDonough's book. I knew immediately that I wanted to order it, and I knew that my dear departed husband would have thoroughly approved--he wasn't a lover of sentimental family shows but he did have a crush on sweet Erin.

I wasn't disappointed. I read the book quickly in just a few sittings. Mary McDonough definitely held my interest. I learned a lot. I would never have thought that the stars who played the Waltons truly cared for one another and were like a second family to one another. This is the kind of thing that you would like to believe, but such a thing seems too good to be true. And the fact that they connected with Earl Hamner's family was another surprise. I've been overseas for many years and didn't always have access to American television.

I don't know why it was a surprise to me that McDonough had been through so much in her personal life because this is so typical of so many child stars. She felt under pressure while trying to juggle television acting with school work, had self-image issues, body image issues, had a bad experience with silicone implants, becoming very sick as a result, had a marriage that fell apart as a result, and a daughter who developed some problems from the implants Mary had in place while pregnant with her child. It's a very big story. Mary actually felt suicidal sometimes in her life.

The trials and tribulations of Mary McDonough's life are brightened by moments from the Waltons set where we learn about some of the funny and interesting things that went on. I personally would have enjoyed many more of these stories. Towards the end of the book when McDonough works very hard to expose the problems with silicone implants and testifies in Washington D.C. I am very proud of her. But I will admit that I became a bit bogged down by all the political talk and was wishing that I was reading funny stories about Ben, Mary Ellen, Erin, John Boy, etal.

I highly recommend this book because it shows what young girls and women go through trying to make a name for themselves in show business. It gives us an opportunity to see the Walton TV family up close and personal. And it shows us how one of the Walton children comes out of her show business experience happier and wiser with a great career as a life coach and acting teacher and with a great second marriage. I felt touched and just as I always cry at the end of a Waltons program, I cried tears of joy at the end of Mary McDonough's story--she is a very admirable woman.

I gave this two stars because I did enjoy the tidbits about the atmosphere on "The Waltons" set and the other actors on the show. However, the book overall just felt like kind of a big pity party. Maybe it's because I read this on the heels of Alison Arngrim's book (she played Nellie Oleson on "Little House on the Prairie"). Arngrim suffered a very sad, dysfunctional childhood in a very sad, dysfunctional family and still wrote an uplifting book in which she seemed to refuse to feel sorry for herself. Then we have Mary McDonough who grew up in a close knit, churchgoing, nuclear family with loving parents and responsible siblings and all we hear about is how shy and insecure she felt, something that almost every girl coming of age experiences at some point. Ho-hum. Told for years that she was "the pretty one", she still didn't think she was sexy enough to snag adult roles so she got the breast implants. What happened to her with the implants was truly awful, but it's not like she needed them to live or anything, it was an optional surgery to enhance her looks. Maybe it's because I'm a hospice nurse and have seen young children die horrible, unfair deaths, but something in me just could not dole out enough pity for Mary to finish the book after I was about 75% in. I followed this book with another celebrity from the '70s autobiography, Cindy Williams' "Shirley, I Jest!". Here is another victim of a sadly dysfunctional childhood who refuses to play the victim, much like the courageous Arngrim. I would suggest either of these ladies' books
over this one. Sorry, but I just can't get on the pity train here. It's hard to feel too sorry for someone who tries to make it a bad thing that
people told her she was pretty and actually complains because her happily married parents did not fight or raise their voices to each other.

[[ASIN:0758263678 Lessons from the Mountain]] A well written account of the actress behind Erin Walton, Mary McDonough. I could not put the book down! Mary tells an honest and touching story of a Little girl who went from being a normal kid in a working class, Irish Catholic family, to an overnight Hollywood child star. She always did her best to please everyone, but never believed she was good enough. To make matter's worse ,one day while she was sitting outside the school set, one of the kids told her that she had heard Mary wasn't very good in "The Homecoming"(The movie that started, the series). The Casting Director Didn't like her and wanted a new "Erin" Mary remembered Earl Hamner had said that she reminded him of his sister, Audrey. Mary thought that was the only reason she got the part in the series. That Gray cloud hung over her for years, adding to her insecurities and fear that she would replaced. She held it inside of her and only cried when no one else was around. Mary tells about her touching, funny, and sometimes heartbreaking journey of growing up as a Walton. She tells of all the lessons she learned and brought with her off "The Mountain". Mary McDounough is truly a gifted and special person!

Mary Beth writes a beautiful account of her life with the Waltons. She is so beautiful and had absolutly NO REASON to feel "ugly" as she put it. She has suffered greatly in her life and health. I admire the courage she has had in fighting to get warning put on breast implants. That is a great legacy, which may help many women in deciding to put health before so called beauty. She has made a good life past her days with the Waltons, and should be pleased with her many good accomplishments. It is an interesting and well written book, revealing the transparency of one child actress who has succeeded past childhood into adulthood.

My husband bought me this book for Christmas. I was thrilled to open it and see one of the beloved characters who played Erin Walton on The Waltons. The Waltons was one of my favorite shows of ALL TIME! This book was written with heart, soul, love and memories. It was interesting, for me to read what the set was like on The Waltons, how Mary handled being a young actress, how her family handled it and how she found a way to differentiate Erin from Mary. There were parts I cried in, there were parts I got angry in and there were parts I smiled in. Mary is a strong woman who has overcome so much. I recommend taking the time to get to know Mary, who played Erin. Enjoy!

I met Mary breifly at the California Women's Conference last month, and imediately was drawn to her energy and light. In my teenage years I didn't miss one episode of The Walton's....and it provided me an escape from an inner lonliness, and longing to be accepted.......the TV family that had kernels of wisdom each week to wove into my "real" life of a teenager with cerebral palsy, who wanted to be an actress.
In reading Mary's book, it provided the insight that whether it is television, or real life - it is all the same "life" with joys, triumphs, struggle and heartache. The lessons from this beauutiful mountain are those in which we all can come away with knowing that we must never give up our journey that we have taken in life - and that through it all, whether it is the "scripted lessons" that are written for our consumption or the "nonscripted lessons" that we learn privately, Mary successfully brings both of those worlds together into a book that will inspire and move you to do whatever you have to do in your life. You will not want to say "Goodnight Mary" but rather say "Hello Mary, and thank you for sharing a part of your life with us."

Having grown up with "The Waltons", I still have fond memories of this television series from my teen years. In more recent years, I watched the series again on DVD and found an even greater appreciation for its values and lessons. I especially liked that it touched on social issues of the era such as poverty, anti-Semitism, and racism, all of which are sadly still relevant today. I was pleasantly surprised to discover Mary McDonough's book "Lessons from the Mountain" and was curious to read more about the beloved TV series.

"Lessons from the Mountain" is about much more than the television series, it is autobiographical and covers the many facets of Mary McDonough's life. She is not the same person as the Erin Walton character she portrayed, but rather is a deep, sometimes troubled soul, who is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

Containing a well-blended array of humorous anecdotes and behind the scenes memoirs, fans of the television series will certainly love this book. Mary is also forthright about the mixed blessings of growing up as Erin Walton and the difficulties of being a child star. What may have appeared to be a charmed life to outsiders took a heavy toll on young Mary's emotional and physical well-being. After the series was cancelled, Mary faced many more tribulations and the book begins to read more like a detective novel as she fights to discover the nature of the mysterious illness that had overcome her. Her book becomes even more compelling when she is forced to take on the medical establishment and the government as an initially reluctant activist.

"Lessons" shares Mary's experiences on a broad range of topics besides the entertainment business, such as woman's health issues, parenting, life, and death. Mary's often hard fought lessons provide valuable knowledge and wisdom that will be helpful not only to woman, but to men and teens as well. Some parts of her book will make you laugh out loud while other parts might make you cry. If nothing else, reading about Mary's own courage and perseverance should inspire all of us as we climb our own mountains and circumvent the boulders in our lives. Thank you Mary McDonough for entertaining us over the years and for sharing your valuable life lessons in this book.

Loved this book!

loved it

This was a terrible book! I thought she was played a whiner on the show but I see by this book it just came natural to her. 2 chapters out of the whole book were semi interesting. Don’t waste your money!